House to vote on $578B defense spending bill for 2017

House appropriators on Thursday introduced a $577.9 billion fiscal 2017 defense spending bill in hopes of passing it quickly so that lawmakers can tackle a pending supplemental funding request and the fiscal 2018 budget.

“The singular most important duty of Congress is to provide for our nation’s defense, and the rebuilding of our nation’s military starts with this bill,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) said in a statement. “This legislation provides responsible funding to ensure that our troops have the resources they need to remain the very best in the world, and to fulfill the mission of protecting our country and our way of life.”

The bill, which is expected to be voted on in the House next week, would split the funding between $516.1 billion for base budget needs and $61.8 billion for a war fund known as the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account.

{mosads}The figures are consistent with the fiscal 2017 defense policy bill signed into law in December and were worked out between both the House and the Senate.

“I am optimistic that Congress will approve this agreement and give the Department of Defense what it requires to keep our nation safe and meet the needs of our servicemen and women,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) said in a statement. “We’ve tried to make the best decisions possible, within funding limitations, to support national security priorities like modernization of aging equipment and a pay increase for all military personnel.”

Right now, the Pentagon is operating on fiscal 2016 spending levels, along with the rest of the government, since Congress passed a stopgap spending measure at the end of the last session.

The stopgap measure, called a continuing resolution, expires at the end of April. But Republican lawmakers have said fiscal 2017 defense spending should be passed earlier so that the Pentagon can have budget certainty and Congress can focus on upcoming budget issues.

Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, said that it’s “disappointing” defense appropriations weren’t finished at the end of last year.

“Nevertheless, I thank Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate for their hard work and cooperation on this product, which keeps faith with caps on discretionary spending,” she added in a statement. “All Americans know we must ensure our armed forces are staffed, trained and equipped to meet the challenges they face. We must fulfill that responsibility without neglecting the critical services and investments funded through the 10 other unfinished appropriations bills.”

The Pentagon in the coming days is expected to deliver Congress a supplemental budget request — reportedly about $30 billion — for fiscal 2017. The supplemental is meant to address urgent shortfalls and any changes in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The supplemental is not accounted for in the appropriations bill introduced Thursday and would likely be added to the war fund, which is not subject to budget caps.

The bill introduced Thursday would provide $132.1 billion for military personnel costs, including a 2.1 percent pay raise for troops; $215.3 billion for operations and maintenance; and $117.8 billion to buy equipments such as three littoral combat ships, 74 F-35 aircraft and 14 F-18s Super Hornet aircraft.

The Trump administration also announced this week it will propose a $603 billion defense budget for fiscal 2018. The proposal would increase defense spending to $54 billion above budget caps, making its fate in Congress unclear.